Butterfly Effect
by Pulp Fiction
Summary: When Wendy is mysteriously brought back in time, she is determined to stop Death before it happens. What she doesn't know is that when you mess with the past, you affect your future... Completed!
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: yawn The usual. I own absolutely nothing. So please don't sue me because…well, that would just be bad. **

**P.S. I also have to give a little credit to the movie The Butterfly Effect. Although I've never seen it I know what it's about. **

**Summary: When Wendy is suddenly brought back in time, she is determined to prevent the deaths of her friends before they happen. What she doesn't know is that when you mess with the past, you affect the future, too. The summary sucks, as usual.**

**Butterfly Effect**

**Prologue**

Wendy looked down in horror at her hands. Ian's blood was splattered on them. In a way, she wasn't too surprised by that. She had been splattered with blood a lot lately.

She touched her finger to her face, her jaw quivering with shock. Her face had droplets of blood on it, too, but not her own.

There had to be a way to stop this. There just had to be. Wendy had gone through so much in such a short amount of time and she was beginning to lose it…

Wendy blinked hard, trying to tell herself to calm down. She turned to Kevin and Julie, only to find they had disappeared. Wendy looked around, surprised. She was standing up, although a moment ago she had been on the ground. And her hands – they were clean. What was going on?

"Wendy!" She turned at the sound of her name. Who was that waving to her? _Jason_? It couldn't be…Jason was dead.

Wendy gulped as she took in her surroundings. She was standing in the middle of the carnival the night the roller coaster crashed.

**Okay, so a little cliffy. Right now Wendy has mysteriously been brought back in time…but how? You probably won't find out in the next chapter. Tee, hee. Since I have a lot of free time on the weekends I will probably get a good chunk of this story done today. In the next chapter, Wendy now has a weapon more powerful than her premonition to stop Death…time travel. But little does she know that preventing everyone from getting on the roller coaster will drastically change the future…**

**Yep, I suck at summaries, but most people do, right? I'll stop rambling now and start writing the next chapter. Read on to find out what happens next! Dun, dun, DUH!!**


	2. Chapter 1: Devil's Flight

**Well, here is the first official chapter. Wendy is cheating Death even more than before and Death does NOT like getting cheated…so Death is pissed. And also, the entire future is completely affected by Wendy's actions in the past. Not a good combination if you ask me.**

**Chapter One**

**Devil's Flight**

"Wendy?" Jason asked, looking as confused as Wendy felt. "Come on, Wendy; let's get in line for the Devil's Flight."

"What?" asked Wendy, feeling numb. She looked around, still feeling confused. What had happened? Was she actually in the past? Was this some kind of dream? Wendy had so many questions, but for now she left them unanswered as she jogged after Jason.

There was Kevin and Carrie, already at the back of the line for Devil's Flight. Wendy started trembling with fear as she looked up at the big, looming roller coaster that had caused her friends' peril.

"What's wrong, Wendy?" Jason asked as they got in line. "You can't be _that _scared of roller coasters…" A tear rolled down Wendy's cheek before she could stop it. She brushed it away quickly.

"You don't understand!" Wendy gulped, trying frantically to explain without sounding like a mental patient. "Nobody go on the roller coaster!" Kevin rolled his eyes. Wendy wasn't used to him acting that way. They had become so close since the roller coaster crash…

Wendy backed out of line. "I refuse to get on that roller coaster!" she hollered, her voice hoarse. "Jason! Carrie! Get off! You too, Kevin!"

"Really, Wendy, what's the deal?" Carrie asked. "Um, no offense, Wendy, but people are starting to stare."

"Just…just get out of line!" Wendy pleaded, grabbing Carrie's sleeve and pulling her out of line. "We'll go on the next time, I promise!" Of course, Wendy knew her promise was impossible to fulfill, but she would try anything to get her friends – and everyone else – off that roller coaster before its final ride.

"All right, all right," Jason said with a sigh, joining Wendy and Carrie. Kevin joined them. "We'll go on next time, okay, Wendy? Now calm down. Roller coasters are perfectly harmless."

"If only you knew," Wendy murmured under her breath.

"What's that?" Jason asked.

"Nothing," Wendy said, shaking her head. She looked up suddenly, realizing that the others – the others that she had watched die – were still in line. She elbowed past her friends and looked around in the line. There were Ashley and Ashlyn, about to take their seats in the roller coaster. Wendy ran towards the Devil's Flight as quickly as she could.

"Ashley! Ashlyn!" Wendy screamed. "Get off the ride! Now! I need to talk to you!"

"What does she want?" she heard Ashley ask. The two girls climbed out of the roller coaster and walked over to her.

"What is it, Wendy?" Ashlyn asked, but Wendy ran past them. "I'll explain later!" she called over her shoulder.

"Erin! Ian! Frankie! Lewis!" Wendy screamed, running up to the seats. She was beginning to sweat, trying to get the memory of the roller coaster crash out of her mind. "Get off the roller coaster! I'll explain later! Trust me! I – I need to tell you something! _Just get off_!"

"Freak," Erin muttered, rolling her eyes. "Come on, let's get out of here, Ian." They got off the roller coaster. That was two more lives saved for the time being. Wendy gave a sigh of relief. But there was still Frankie and Lewis to deal with, and she knew they would be more difficult to persuade.

"Get off the ride! Trust me!" Wendy exclaimed, grabbing Lewis's arm. Of course, he was much stronger than her and pulled away easily.

"Ma'am, I'm going to have to ask you to leave," said the pimply teenager manning the Devil's Flight controls.

"You cannot start this ride!" Wendy yelled. "Just listen to me!" Why wouldn't they believe her? Why wouldn't they listen? She was starting to cry a little, but she wasn't embarrassed by that sort of thing anymore.

"Does anybody else want to get off the ride before we start it?" the teenager asked. Frankie shrugged and climbed out of his seat.

"Now that you mention it," Lewis said thoughtfully, "I think I left my wallet back in the food court." He climbed out. Wendy heaved a huge sigh of relief and crumpled to the ground, her legs weak. The teenager started the ride, but she wasn't paying attention any more.

By then Jason, Carrie, and Kevin had come over. "Wendy, what the fuck is going on?" Jason asked. "Can we get on the ride after this?"

"I – I can't explain," Wendy stammered, weakly rising to her feet. "I mean, I will…later. I just have to get away from here. I hate this place." She started hurrying away from the roller coaster. She just needed to leave the carnival grounds before the roller coaster derailed…

"I'll explain later," Wendy kept promising. "Jason, can you just drive me home? I don't feel good."

"All right," Jason agreed, looking hesitant. He swapped glances with Carrie and Kevin.

"Wait!" Wendy screamed, turning on her heel suddenly. "Julie! Perry! I forgot about them! I didn't see them!" She started running back towards the Devil's Flight. How could she have been so stupid as to forget her own sister?

"Wendy," Jason called, jogging after her. Carrie and Kevin followed at a slower pace, obviously getting annoyed.

It was too late. Devil's Flight had already begun its derailment, and Julie and Perry were on board – or so she thought.

Wendy turned as she felt a hand on her shoulder. It was Julie, and Amber and Perry were standing behind her.

"Wendy, what the fuck?" Julie asked. "I heard you were freaking out. What's going on?"

"Nothing," Wendy said breathlessly. "I'm just glad you're okay." She flung her arms around Julie's shoulders. Her sister pulled away disgustedly.

"Why aren't you on the roller coaster?" Wendy asked. Julie shrugged.

"Perry had to pee, so we went with her," she replied. "And I just ate anyway, and I didn't really feel like barfing tonight." Wendy heaved another huge sigh of relief.

"Thank God you're safe," Wendy muttered. But Julie didn't reply – she was peering over Wendy's shoulder at the crashing Devil's Flight.

"Jesus Christ," Julie murmured. "We almost went on that ride." Wendy twirled around to see and gasped. There were still people on the ride – of course there were. But she kept telling herself that the important thing was that she had saved the original victims, the ones whose deaths had technically already happened…at least for Wendy, anyway.

"I'll see you at home," Wendy mumbled, and turned to join her friends. They headed into the parking lot and climbed into Jason's car.

"That was weird back there with the roller coaster," Jason commented in the car. Wendy was too shaken to say anything. She stared out the window silently, her hands folded in her lap.

"Here's your stop, Wendy," Jason said, pulling up outside Wendy's house. He leaned over to kiss her good night.

"Um, will you guys stay over with me tonight?" Wendy asked quickly, not wanting to be alone.

"All of us?" Kevin asked.

"My parents are out of town," Wendy added quickly.

Carrie shrugged. "I don't see why not," she said, so the four friends went into the Christenson home together. Wendy was glad for the company. She actually felt safe – for now, at least.

"Hey, let's print out the pictures from tonight," Kevin said, grabbing Wendy's digital camera and walking into her bedroom.

"No!" Wendy exclaimed, remembering what the pictures signified. She grabbed the camera and, without thinking, flung open her bedroom window and tossed the camera out into the yard.

"Wendy, what the fuck was that about?" Kevin exclaimed.

"Nothing," Wendy said, backing out of the room. "Nothing at all."

Little did she know that the camera lay in the backyard, completely unharmed, save a few scratches. Later that night when Julie arrived home she crossed through the backyard to let herself in the back door, and noticed the camera. She bent down to pick it up and turned it on.

"Hmm," she said to herself. "I wonder how Wendy's camera got out here. I'll have to print out the pictures from tonight myself."

**Hope you liked the official start to Butterfly Effect. Wendy thinks she's lucky to get a second chance, but really she's only making things worse. How will Jason and Carrie surviving effect things? In the next chapter, Wendy realizes how true the saying "A picture is worth a thousand words" is. Stay tuned, folks!**


	3. Chapter 2: A Thousand Words

**Kevin and Carrie's relationship crumbles as Julie prints out the pictures of death… Mwahaha!**

**Chapter Two**

**A Thousand Words**

"A picture is worth a thousand words," Julie mumbled to herself sleepily as she printed out the pictures off of Wendy's digital camera. It was nearly midnight and Wendy and her friends were all asleep. Julie didn't know how her printer didn't wake them up, but whatever.

She took out the stack of pictures and flipped through them. She stopped at the photo of Jason – it was pretty cool. He was posing in front of Devil's Flight before it had crashed, and it looked as if the roller coaster was going straight into his head. Cool.

Julie yawned and looked at her own picture. She was flipping off the camera as Perry and Amber smirked in the background. She smiled at that. Let Wendy try to take a picture of her again.

She set down the stack of photos and turned off her computer and Wendy's camera, turning out the lights and crawling into bed. It had definitely been a long day, and Julie was beat. She needed some sleep.

THE NEXT MORNING

Wendy woke up early the next morning before anyone else. She rolled over in bed, glad to see Carrie asleep on the floor in Wendy's sleeping bag. Kevin and Jason had slept on the couches in the living room. It had been so nice of them to sleep over.

Wendy rolled out of bed and tip toed out of the room, careful not to wake anybody. She peeked into Julie's room to make sure she had gotten home safely. Julie lay asleep in her bed. Wendy turned to leave when she spotted something on Julie's desk.

"My camera," Wendy murmured nervously. She went to get it, wondering how it had survived the fall out of her window. Her eyes widened as she saw the stack of too-familiar photos on Julie's desk. Julie had printed them out!

Wendy scooped up the photos in shock just as Julie stirred. She woke up and looked up, dazed with sleep, at Wendy.

"So you saw the photos?" Julie murmured sleepily. "Cool, huh?"

"Why'd you print these out?" Wendy exclaimed frantically. She lowered her voice as not to wake anyone. "Where'd you get my camera?"

"I found it outside in the backyard," Julie muttered. "Weird, huh?" Wendy could tell Julie's speech was limited after being awake for so little, so she tiptoed out of the room, carrying her camera and the photos.

Wendy went into the kitchen and looked through the photos. She had expected them to be exactly the same as they were the first time around, but to Wendy's surprise a few of them were different, while most of them were the same.

There was one of Carrie and Kevin posing together in the food court. Kevin was holding a knife and a fork, even though he had been eating a hot dog. He had the arm holding the knife wrapped around Carrie's shoulder, and the knife was pointing directly at her head.

Wendy shuddered, dropping the photo on the counter. She looked around the kitchen, her gaze falling on the knife block. She had to do something about it. Wendy ran over to it and shoved the block into the back of the top shelf in one of the kitchen cabinets, securely closing the cabinet door. Now the knife block would only be able to fall out if there was an earthquake…

Good thing there weren't many earthquakes in New York State.

Wendy spun around, surprised, at Jason's voice.

"Good morning, Wendy," he mumbled groggily, walking into the kitchen slowly and sleepily. It was apparent that he had just woken up with his messy hair and half-shut eyes.

"G-good morning, Jason," Wendy said, telling herself to get it together. Now that she knew exactly how the order of events went down she could stop everyone's death. She would beat Death if it was the last thing she did!

As Wendy started making breakfast for Jason to make herself busy she began thinking about it. Things would be different now, right? The pictures were different. Now that she had saved Carrie and Jason the deaths might be different. The thought that Wendy had to go through it all over again without knowing what would happen next horrified her. She thought she had the upper hand, knowing what would happen, but Carrie and Jason still being alive certainly put a twist on things…

"Are you okay, Wendy?" Jason yawned as Wendy handed him his bagel. "You're awfully quiet this morning."

"I'm tired, is all," Wendy said nervously, forcing a smile. Just then Carrie entered the kitchen, followed closely by Kevin. Wendy took a deep breath and smiled again. For the time being she had to act normal. When she told them all about Death was when she could start freaking out.

LATER THAT MORNING

The morning progressed normally. Julie stayed in her room most of the time, not interacting with the others. Wendy wondered whether she should take a shower. She could slip and fall and kill herself, but she wasn't next in line, right? She had been last in line…

She decided not to take a shower anyway, just in case. Kevin, Carrie, and Jason, did, though, and Wendy couldn't protest. She had decided to wait until later before telling them about Death. She still needed to think about how, exactly, she would tell them about it at all.

It was when Kevin and Carrie came downstairs that tension began to build among the four friends.

"Carrie, I need to ask you something," Kevin said at the same time that Carrie said, "Kevin, we need to talk." Wendy tensed up. She knew what was coming. She remembered how at the carnival Carrie had told her she was going to break up with Kevin, and later on Kevin would tell her how he was going to ask Carrie to marry him – or, he would have if Carrie and Jason were already dead.

"You go first," the two said at the same time.

"Who wants chocolate chip cookies?" Wendy interjected quickly, trying to sound cheerful. "My treat. I think we have some cookie dough in the freezer." She bustled around the kitchen noisily, her hands shaking as she popped a tray of cookie dough into the oven. Kevin and Carrie sat awkwardly on the couch together, and Jason sat off to the side in the easy chair.

Wendy peered out the kitchen window on her way back into the living room. The two middle school boys next door were tossing a baseball back and fourth in their yard. For some reason it made Wendy nervous. Her palms began to sweat. She wiped them on her jeans and walked into the living room.

"Wendy, can I talk to you in the kitchen?" Carrie asked, avoiding eye contact with Kevin. The two friends walked back into the kitchen together.

"What is it?" Wendy asked. Carrie leaned against the counter nervously. Wendy couldn't help but peer over her shoulder through the window at the boys with the baseball. She shivered.

"I don't know how to break up with Kevin," Carrie whispered. "He's so sweet and I know it will hurt his feelings. What should I do? What do you think he wants to ask me?"

"Um, why don't you wait until later to do it?" Wendy suggested nervously, tapping her foot against the floor. Why was she sweating so much? The air conditioner was on…

Carrie started talking again, but Wendy wasn't listening. Her stomach lurched as she saw one of the boys in the yard next door throw the baseball especially hard. The other boy dove to catch it, but it kept flying, straight towards the kitchen window…

"DUCK!" Wendy screamed, falling to the floor. She grabbed Carrie's legs and tried to pull her down, but it was too late. The ball collided with the window and glass flew everywhere. The two bodies fell to the ground.

Wendy looked up at Carrie, her jaw quivering. A sob escaped her lips as she saw what had become of her friend. A big shard of glass was lodged in the side of Carrie's head. She stared glassy-eyed at the ceiling.

"Carrie!" Wendy wailed as Jason and Kevin rushed into the kitchen. Julie thundered down the stairs.

"What happened?" she exclaimed. "I heard a crash…" Wendy sat up, sobbing. Even though she had been through it all before, she still hadn't been able to save Carrie. By getting Carrie and Jason off the roller coaster, Wendy had changed the future.

Kevin started crying as he and Jason collapsed to the floor with Wendy. He cradled Carrie's head in his lap, her blood soaking through his jeans. He pulled the shard of glass out of her head.

"Is she alive?" Kevin gasped. "Is there any chance?" Wendy, shaking the whole time, put her ear against Carrie's chest. She detected no beating. Carrie had been killed instantly.

Wendy slowly raised her head, shaking it to tell Kevin.

She thought she had had the upper hand. Wendy thought she could save everyone, but in truth she had only been able to keep Carrie alive a day longer. Would the same be true with Jason?

Maybe Wendy was wrong when she thought she could cheat Death. Maybe Death really _did _always win.

**Dun, dun, duh!! In the next chapter, Wendy wants to destroy the pictures from the carnival, but Julie doesn't see what the big deal is. Wendy also tries to explain everything to Julie, Kevin, and Jason. Will they believe her? How long will Jason live? And can Wendy truly beat Death the second time around?**


	4. Chapter 3: Going for a Ride

**Wendy really is a multi-tasker as she struggles to keep Jason alive, destroy the carnival pictures, and explain the whole Death situation to her friends.**

**Chapter Three**

**Going for a Ride**

Wendy stared anxiously at her friends' faces, waiting for their reaction. It was a day after Carrie's death. The four of them – Wendy, Kevin, Jason, and Julie – were sitting in Wendy's room around her computer. She had showed them an online article about flight 180 and Alex Browning years ago and had explained to them about Death, her visions, and the time travel.

Now she was waiting for their reaction. They were silent, exchanging glances. She knew they thought she was crazy, but she didn't care.

"So?" Wendy asked, wrapping her arms around herself. "Come on! You _have _to believe me after the roller coaster crash and Carrie's death!"

"Well," began Jason, but Wendy wouldn't listen. She hopped up and ran out of the room.

"Wendy!" Julie called, running after her. Wendy ran into Julie's room and grabbed the photographs off of Julie's desk.

"What are you doing?" Julie asked as Kevin and Jason came into the room.

"Look at this!" Wendy exclaimed, showing them Carrie's photograph from the carnival. "Look at the knife!"

"So what?" asked Kevin. "I wasn't trying to kill her or anything."

"That's not the point!" Wendy bellowed, trying desperately to get her point across. Couldn't they just listen to her for once? She wasn't crazy! "The sharp piece of glass was like a knife going into Carrie's head, like in the photo! These pictures are _signs_!" They exchanged glances again. They really did think she was crazy.

"I think we need to go on a little ride to clear everybody's heads," Kevin proposed.

"Damn, I'm low on gas," Jason observed once they got into his car. "Let's go fill 'er up." Wendy was silent for most of the ride.

"How could you not believe me?" she asked Julie hoarsely. "My own sister, for Christ's sake!"

"Wendy," Julie began hesitantly.

"Just shut the fuck up!" Wendy snapped. "I know you think I'm crazy, but wait until we all start dropping dead! This has happened before." Everyone was shocked into silence. Jason pulled up to the gas station. Everyone got out.

Jason began filling the tank as Wendy wandered farther away from the group, trying to get her thoughts straight and clear her head. The smell of gasoline didn't help. Neither did the smell of smoke.

Smoke? Wendy turned. A few teenagers were hanging out nearby Jason's car, smoking cigarettes. She ran up to them and grabbed the cigarettes out of their hands.

"Are you crazy?" Wendy exclaimed. "Smoking cigarettes at a _gas _station?"

"Calm down, bitch," snapped one of the teenagers, grabbing his cigarette back. (**A/N: **I know this part is a little like the gas station scene in Final Destination 2.)

"No!" Wendy screamed as the teenager flicked his cigarette onto the ground right in some gasoline Jason had spilled on the ground. She started running just as the gas station began to explode.

Wendy felt her body hurtling through the air, and suddenly everything seemed to happen in slow motion. All sounds seemed distant and faint.

Then Wendy hit the ground, her head slamming the pavement. She groaned, clutching her head and struggling to sit up.

"Jason!" Wendy called, her voice weak. "Julie! Kevin!" She could see Julie and Kevin lying nearby, struggling to get back up, too.

"Jason!" she exclaimed, crawling over to them. "Where's Jason?" Kevin just shook his head. Suddenly a scream pierced the air. Wendy scrambled to her feet. It was Julie.

"What's wrong?" Wendy cried, hurrying over to where Julie sat. Julie pointed, an expression of horror painted on her face. Wendy followed her gaze and spotted a charred body. Most of its torso was burnt away, and third degree burns covered the remaining parts.

"Jason!" Wendy sobbed as she jogged over to the pile of ashes. She could recognize the jeans and the sneakers, even though they were both badly burned, too. She put her face into her hands. This couldn't be happening. Even though this was Wendy's second time through the ordeal, it somehow seemed a thousand times worse.

THE NEXT DAY

Kevin had become a regular at the Christenson household, and Wendy and Julie were glad. The day after Jason's death, they all gathered in the living room to look at the rest of the photos from the carnival.

"Look," Wendy said, grabbing a second photo of Jason. He was standing by the hot dog stand, right by the hot dogs roasting on a spit. One of the flames had jumped into the air during the shot and looked as if it was burning Jason's hands, as he was holding them out. Wendy pointed this out to Kevin and Julie.

"I told you the pictures were signs!" she wailed.

"We believe you, Wendy," Julie said earnestly, and Wendy knew she meant it. Kevin nodded his agreement.

"No, uh, you said there was an order, right?" Kevin asked slowly. Wendy nodded. "So…who's next?" Wendy stood up in shock suddenly. She had completely forgotten about the rest of their classmates.

"Ashley and Ashlyn!" Wendy exclaimed, and ran out the back door.

**Will Wendy be able to save Ashley and Ashlyn? How different is the future and present thanks to Wendy's intervention? And what is up with the lack of parents in the Final Destination movies? ;-)**


	5. Chapter 4: Phoenix Tanning Salon

**Will Ashley and Ashlyn meet their fates or will Wendy intervene, messing up the future even more?**

**Chapter Four**

**Phoenix Tanning Salon**

Julie scooped up the carnival photos and she and Kevin ran after Wendy outside.

"Wendy, where are you going?" Kevin called after. Wendy ran into the garage and climbed into her car, her heart racing. Kevin and Julie leapt in after her.

"Where are we going?" Julie exclaimed as Wendy pulled out of the driveway and began speeding down the road.

"The Phoenix Tanning Salon," was all Wendy had to explain. Kevin and Julie swapped glances.

"Who goes to the Phoenix Tanning Salon all the time?" Julie asked rhetorically. "Ashley and Ashlyn."

"Are they next in line?" Kevin asked Wendy. Wendy nodded, her hands clutching the steering wheel so hard her knuckles turned white.

"Careful you don't get a ticket," Julie warned, and Wendy slowed down a fraction. She turned into the parking lot of the Phoenix Tanning Salon.

"Are Ashley and Ashlyn even here?" Kevin asked as the three got out of Wendy's car.

"I'm certain!" Wendy exclaimed. "Today is the day, I just know it." She jogged into the tanning salon, Julie and Kevin following close behind.

Once inside the salon Wendy immediately spotted Ashley and Ashlyn sucking on some drinks and talking to a man behind the front counter. Wendy ran over to them and grabbed Ashley's shoulder. The two girls turned to face her.

"Oh, hey, Wendy," Ashley said, seeming a little creeped out by Wendy's death grip. She loosened her grip.

"Ashley, Ashlyn, you can't go tanning today!" Wendy exclaimed, feeling as frustrated as she did when she was trying to tell her friends not to go on the roller coaster. "Trust me! I'll explain later! Just don't go today! I don't know – get a spray-on tan or something!"

Ashley laughed meanly. "Do you know how long ago we booked our beds for today?" she asked.

"Like, Christmastime," Ashlyn added.

"I don't care!" Wendy cried. "It's a matter of life and death – no, really! Just don't go tanning today! I'll make up for it, I promise!"

Ashlyn rolled her eyes. "Whatever," she said to Ashley. "Do you just want to go get a smoothie or something?" Ashley shrugged. "Sure," she said, turning to the man behind the counter.

"We're really sorry," she said. "Can we rebook this next week?"

"Sure," the man said.

Once in the parking lot Ashley said, "You know, I only did this to get you to shut up, Wendy."

"I don't care," Wendy said firmly. "I'll explain everything later, I promise. Just be glad you listened to me." Ashley rolled her eyes and Ashlyn shrugged.

"Man, that was a total waste," Wendy heard Ashlyn whine to Ashley as Wendy, Julie, and Kevin climbed back into Wendy's car.

"Um, okay," said Kevin. "Are you sure that was worth it?"

"Yes," Wendy said firmly as she drove away from the Phoenix Tanning Salon. "Just trust me, you guys. Do you want Ashley and Ashlyn to wind up the same way as Carrie and Jason? I mean, I know they can be bitchy but you wouldn't want them _dead_."

Kevin shrugged. "Whatever."

Back at the Christenson house Wendy looked at the photos again. She pointed out the Ashes' photo to Kevin and Julie. "See the red glare?" she asked. "Their tanning beds would've caught on fire." They all shuddered.

"You know what," Wendy said after a few minutes of examining the photos thoroughly. "I kind of want to put these pictures through the paper shredder."

"You can't!" Julie cried. "They hold all the clues to everyone's deaths!"

"But I already know how everyone dies, remember?" Wendy exclaimed. "Besides, they're reminders of Carrie and Jason…" A sob caught in her throat, and Wendy swallowed before she started crying.

Wendy stood up and ran upstairs into her dad's office. Julie ran close behind her.

"Stop!" she called as Wendy started putting the photos through the paper shredder. Julie dove to capture them, but it was too late. Before their very eyes their last clues to Death's game were shredded to bits.

"How could you, Wendy?" Julie wailed, falling to her knees.

"I'm sorry!" Wendy exclaimed, starting to cry. "I don't know what came over me, okay? Do you think I'm really in my right mind after everything that's happened?"

The two sisters were silent for a moment, save Wendy's crying. Julie began to sob a little bit, too. Finally Julie hugged Wendy.

"I'm sorry," she said hoarsely. "Can you imagine how hard all of this is to take in?"

"Oh, yes," Wendy said, nodding. "Imagine how hard it is for me to have to go through it all over again! I thought I had the upper hand, knowing what would happen. But by getting Carrie and Jason off the Devil's Flight I only kept them alive a few days longer!" She let out a sob. "Sometimes I think this really isn't over until every single one of us is dead."

**So Ashley and Ashlyn are still alive…but for how much longer? And will Wendy be able to save Frankie next? Will solving Death's puzzle be harder without the photos? **


	6. Chapter 5: Phone Call

**Ashley and Ashlyn are still alive when they should have died at the tanning salon, but will they live much longer? Will Frankie meet his fate at Andy's Burgers? Will he ever learn to eat something healthier? Will the Ashes learn to believe every wailing girl that comes their way? And will Wendy finally understand that it's okay to cry 24/7 when you're a baby but not when you're 17? ;-)**

**Chapter Five**

**Phone Call**

A few days later would have been the funeral of Ashley and Ashlyn, but because of Wendy intervening at the tanning salon nothing was going on that day.

"Who's next in line?" Kevin asked that morning at breakfast.

"Frankie," Wendy replied confidently. "I know how he dies, even though we don't have the photos anymore." She quickly explained Frankie's gruesome death. Kevin winced. "So we have to find a way to keep Frankie from going to the drive-through at Andy's Burgers," Wendy finished. "It shouldn't be that hard, I don't think. He's scheduled to die today."

"At what time?" Kevin asked.

Wendy checked her watch. "Oh, my, God!" she exclaimed. "He's gonna die in, like, ten minutes! I have to call him!" Wendy whipped out her cell phone and dialed Frankie's number, struggling to remember it.

"Hello?" came Frankie's voice.

"Frankie! Where are you?" Wendy exclaimed.

"Uh, who is this?" asked Frankie. "Is this Ashley? Have you changed your mind about my offer?"

"Gross," Wendy muttered. "But this is not Ashley! This is Wendy! But that's not the point!"

"Wendy?" Frankie asked. "Why are you…?"

"Where are you?" Wendy cried, almost screaming as she cut him off. "Just…where are you right now?"

"I'm in the car driving to Andy's Burgers," Frankie said, sounding confused. "Is this some sort of joke?"

"Don't go!" Wendy screamed. "I mean…do you really want to eat at Andy's Burgers? It's so…unhealthy."

"Well, I'm just going to the drive-through," Frankie muttered. "What, do you think I need to lose some weight or something?"

"Uh…yeah! I mean…no!" Wendy cried. "Just…well, actually, I talked to the Ashes today and they said they prefer a man who eats, uh, healthy food. They said they'd give you a second chance if you, um, stopped eating fast food!" Wendy winced at her lie, but Frankie ate it right up.

"Okay," Frankie said slowly. "I'll go to the gym, then, instead."

"The gym!" Wendy exclaimed under her breath, suddenly remembering Lewis and his bloody death. "Got to go, Frankie." Wendy slapped her cell phone shut and dropped it in her pocket. For some reason she was breathing hard.

"So?" Kevin asked, raising his eyebrows.

"He's not going!" Wendy said happily. "I somehow convinced Frankie not to go to Andy's Burgers today. Gosh, he's so gullible," she muttered to herself. "Well, that's another person saved."

"Who's next again?" Kevin asked, scratching his head.

"Lewis," Wendy said. "He's next…in a couple of days, I think. He dies in the gym." Wendy gulped, remembering how she and Kevin had gone to warn Lewis, only to end up with his blood splattered on their faces. Now they had Julie on their side, and…

Gosh, things were going so differently since Wendy had started this all over again. She began to wonder if intervening with everybody's deaths was the right thing to do…

Of course it was. Who would knowingly sit back and let their peers die? Wendy absentmindedly walked into the living room, peering out the window into the driveway below. Kevin had brought over his truck in case they needed it. Now that Frankie had refrained from going to Andy's Burgers Kevin's truck wouldn't get maimed, so that was good.

Wendy turned just as Julie walked into the room.

"Hi," Julie said softly. "How are you?"

"I'm fine," Wendy said firmly, shrugging. "Really, I am. I just called Frankie to warn him not to go to Andy's Burgers today. Next is Lewis, but he's not due for a couple more days." Julie nodded, avoiding eye contact. She looked a bit nervous.

"Um, Wendy?" she asked.

"Yeah?" Wendy asked.

"Um…how do I die?" Julie asked hesitantly. "I mean, I just want to know…so, so I can look out." She started stammering, unable to get her words out straight."

"It's okay," Wendy said quickly. "Well, at the McKinley Tricentennial…"

"The Tricentennial?" Julie asked. "So we go to it? Maybe we just shouldn't go it…"

"I'm getting there," Wendy interrupted. "You see, Ian goes, and since I'm going to save Erin she'll probably go to…So we need to stop them from going…" She was getting confused, and she could tell that Julie was, too.

"We'll deal with it when the time comes," Wendy said finally, taking a deep breath. Do you want some burgers?" She smiled weakly.

The three got into Kevin's pickup truck and headed to the drive-through at Andy's Burger just to make sure everything had worked out okay. There were no ambulances or EMT's bustling around, and Frankie's car was nowhere to be seen.

"He's alive!" Wendy breathed a sigh of relief as Kevin pulled up to the window. 

Wendy glanced at the electric menu. The word 'control' started to flicker until it disappeared completely, just as it had the first time around. Wendy shivered. Was it a sign that, even though she now knew exactly how things would play out, she still didn't have full control of the situation?

Maybe she _didn't _know exactly how everything would play out. Wendy was beginning to realize that by changing the past the entire future was altered…

A car pulled up in front of them. "How rude," Kevin muttered just as a big truck pulled up against Wendy's door. "Turn Around, Look at Me" started playing on the radio.

"Fuck," Wendy muttered, twisting around in her seat to look behind her. Sure enough, a mini van was parked behind them, and behind that a truck without a driver was barreling down the street heading straight towards them.

"Move!" Wendy screamed. 

"I can't!" Kevin protested, honking his horn. The car in front of them didn't move. Kevin rammed into them. The driver stuck his hand out the window and flipped them off. He turned his head around. It wasn't someone they knew, thank goodness.

"Move!" Wendy screamed again, and Julie started shouting the word, too. "Shit!" Kevin muttered, ramming into the car again. 

"Damn it!" Wendy screamed, starting to kick the windshield just as she had the first time around. She stopped, however, when the car in front of them finally moved forward.

Kevin pulled forward at top away from Andy's Burgers seconds before the mini van backed up frantically and the truck barreled through the drive-through.

Wendy heaved a huge sigh of relief. "That was close," she murmured. "And Frankie wasn't even there." 

On that note, Kevin drove them back to the Christenson house. 

"You know what I just realized?" Wendy said as they all headed inside. "Mom and Dad are coming home tomorrow."

**Three people already saved. Will Lewis make it four? Will Mom and Dad's presence shake things up? And how much will the future be effected by Wendy's meddling? (The world meddling tempts me to quote Scooby-Doo, but I'll refrain…)**


	7. Chapter 6: Homecoming

**Lewis is next in line, and Wendy knows he'll be harder to persuade than the others. Plus Wendy's parents are coming home. What does it mean for her, Kevin, and Julie? Thanks for the reviews, not just for this story but my others! They motivate me to keep writing.**

**Chapter Six**

**Homecoming**

Wendy woke up the next morning with a growing sense of dread. At first she couldn't place it, but then she remembered that her parents were coming home today.

She slowly rolled out of bed and began her morning routine. At breakfast she said to Kevin, "My parents are coming home today, you have to leave for now. They'd freak if they found out a boy's been sleeping over here." Wendy gnawed her lip, really wanting Kevin to stay. She knew he couldn't, though.

"Come over later," she added quickly.

Not long after that Kevin left. Wendy felt her sense of dread growing even more. Even with Julie for company she felt extremely lonely. She felt like the only person in the world who understood what she was going through. 

Around lunchtime Wendy forced herself to eat a sandwich, but she couldn't stomach much else. Then she heard the garage door opening.

"They're home," Julie said softly. Neither girl looked happy about their parents' homecoming.

"We're home!" sang Mom as they came up through the garage with their bags. "How are you girls?"

"Good," Julie said, forcing a smile. "How was your trip?"

"Good, thanks," Mom said, kissing both of them on the cheek. "Wendy, are you okay? You seem a little…I don't know, sad and quiet."

"I'm fine, really," Wendy murmured absentmindedly. "I'll be in my room." She quickly hurried upstairs to her bedroom, closing the door. She lied down on her bed and stared at a crack in the ceiling, thinking.

Now she had trouble remembering what day exactly Lewis was supposed to die. Was it tomorrow or the next day? Oh, shit. What if she started losing her mind? What if she couldn't remember the exact days and was unable to save the others? What if she lost her second chance? Would she get a third? Or was it really impossible to beat Death?

_Get it together, Wendy_, she thought, sitting up and shaking her head a little as if to clear her thoughts. Suddenly a thought occurred to her. The carnival pictures were still on Julie's computer.

Wendy stood up and crept into Julie's room down the hall, sitting at her computer. She opened the file with the carnival pictures. There was Lewis's picture, with the weight that looked as if it was coming down on his head, same as before. It didn't help.

For some reason Wendy felt a strange feeling in her stomach, as if she was about to throw up. She quickly closed the photos and went back into her own room. She decided to take a nap.

THE NEXT DAY

The next morning Wendy decided she needed some time to herself. Escaping from everyone else, she drove to the cemetery and immediately went to Jason's grave. She bent down and fingered the plaque in the ground, feeling a tear slip down her cheek.

Wendy flipped out her cell phone and quickly dialed Kevin's number.

"Hello?" came his familiar, comforting voice.

"I'm with Jay," she said softly, just as she had originally at the Ashes' funeral.

"Wendy?" asked Kevin. "Do you want me to come get you?"

She shrugged, and then remembered he couldn't see her. "I don't know," Wendy replied. "I just…have this feeling, you know?"

"Yeah," Kevin said, but he sounded as if he didn't know. "Is Lewis supposed to die today?" He sounded awkward saying it, as if the idea of knowing when someone was going to die was still uncomfortable for him.

"I can't even remember," Wendy wailed miserably. "Oh, Kevin! What if I start losing my mind? I think I already am."

"You're not crazy," Kevin said soothingly, but his words didn't help. "Look, are you sure you don't want me to come get you?"

"I have my car, I'm fine, thanks," Wendy muttered. 

"Well, do you want me to come over to your house later?" Kevin asked.

"Thanks for the offer, but I don't know," Wendy said slowly. "My parents and everything…"

"Oh, yeah," said Kevin softly. "I forgot about them. I've gotten so used to staying at your house." They both laughed a little, though there was nothing funny. "Well, call me later." Kevin hung up.

Wendy shut her cell phone and put it back in her pocket, somehow feeling worse than before. She fingered Jay's name on the grave: JASON ROBERT WISE. She felt so miserable. Why did she have to lose her boyfriend _and _her best friend all over again?

At least she had Kevin.

"Wendy, your mother and I are busy unpacking," Dad said later that day. "Will you be a big help and start a load of laundry?"

"No, I won't," Wendy snapped, surprising both Dad and herself. She didn't normally act like that and always respected her parents.

Instead of getting mad Dad asked, "Wendy, are you okay? You've been acting different lately."

"I'm fine," Wendy snapped.

"Well, if you need anything…" Dad said. He was talking, but Wendy wasn't listening. She felt a chill down her spine and shivered. There was a twinge in her stomach, and suddenly something dawned on her.

"Lewis!" Wendy exclaimed suddenly, sprinting to the hall closet to grab your jacket and her shoes.

"Lewis?" Dad called from the kitchen. "Is there a boy I don't know about?" But Wendy was already sprinting down through the garage to get into her car.

She started driving to the gym, calling Kevin on her cell phone alone the way.

"Hello?" he said after he picked up.

"Kevin, it's Wendy!" she explained in a rush. "Lewis is supposed to die today!"

"What?" Kevin exclaimed. "Where does he die?"

"The gym!" Wendy cried. "I'm driving there right now. Meet me there, okay?" And with that she hung up, tossing her cell phone onto the front seat. Her hands clutched steering wheel tightly and she hunched forward, peering out the windshield intently. What if she was too late?

Wendy pulled into the parking lot of the gym and climbed out of her car just as Kevin's truck pulled in. She waved to him frantically without a trace of a smile and ran over to the truck as Kevin got out.

"I'm here," he said. "Come on, let's go." They hurried into the gym together. Once inside Wendy felt a little intimidated by all of the big, muscle-y guys working out in the gym, but she soon got over it.

Her eyes scanned the gym, searching for Lewis…There he was! They weren't too late!

"Come on, over there!" Wendy said quickly, and the two hurried over to Lewis just as he sat down on the weight-lifting device that would cause his death.

"Lewis, get up!" Wendy said quickly. "I mean, uh, I need to talk to you."

"What is it?" Lewis asked. He smirked. "Aren't you that freak from the carnival?"

"Whatever!" Wendy cried. "Look, I need to tell you something…" Lewis started lifting weights. Wendy gulped, the hairs on her arms standing up.

"Lewis, listen to her," Kevin said firmly. Wendy looked up, her jaw trembling with fear, at the sign that read WHAT DOESN'T KILL YOU, MAKES YOU STRONGER with the fake swords on it. They were quivering, just like Wendy expected them to be.

As Kevin continued to try and persuade Lewis to listen to them, Wendy looked around the gym and realized that she would have to do something drastic to save Lewis.

She leaned in to Kevin and whispered in his ear, "Do you have a lighter with you?" He seemed surprised.

"Yeah, but," he began before Wendy cut him off.

"Give it to me," she hissed. Kevin dug it out of his back pocket and handed it to. Clutching it in her hand, Wendy edged over to the big bear statue that had started the accident that cause Lewis's death. She stood right next to it, pretending to be examining it, and discreetly flicked open the lighter, letting the flame catch onto the fake fur of the bear. Then Wendy dropped the lighter as the fire spread.

"Fire!" she shrieked. "Everybody get out!" Then she ran right out the door of the gym into the parking lot. Everyone began piling out after her. She let them pass, waiting by the door for Kevin and Lewis to come outside safely.

Wendy began to worry. What if someone actually got hurt? What had become of her lately? Before all of this ever happened Wendy had never been the type to set a gym on fire or even snap at her parents.

Finally Kevin and Lewis came out of the gym, Lewis muttering angrily under his breath. Wendy thought she caught the phrase "crazy bitch".

"Was it you that started that fire?" he snapped. 

Wendy knew she had to act fast. She quickly thought of Jay and Carrie and managed to squeeze out a few tears, faking a sob and putting her face into her hands.

"Now look what you did," Kevin said to Lewis, playing right into the act. "Come on, Wendy, let's go." They turned away from Lewis and headed toward their cars.

"They don't think that was a little _too _drastic?" Wendy asked worriedly under her breath.

"You did what you had to do to save Lewis," Kevin said pointedly. "Talk to you later." He headed to his truck and Wendy climbed into her own car, giving herself a minute to calm down before driving back to her house.

"Another person saved," she muttered.

**Bet you didn't expect that! Wendy, setting a building on **_**fire**_**? Well, she doesn't want to waste her second chance. Next is Build It. Will Wendy and Kevin be able to save Erin (my favorite character)? Find out in the next chapter! Dun, dun, DUH!**


	8. Chapter 7: Next in Line

**Will Wendy be able to save Erin at Build It? Rainbow cookies: I agree that Erin and Ian are awesome too! Ahem…but that's just my opinion…ahem. P.S. This chapter title sucks but I used it for lack of a better title (other nominees were Nail Gun and Build It…you can see why I chose this one.)**

**Chapter Seven**

**Next in Line**

"Next in line?" asked Kevin.

"Erin – no, actually Ian," Wendy corrected herself as she tried to remember the day at Build It. "Yes, I remember now. A big box of wooden pickets almost fell on his head…but I pushed him out of the way…" She furrowed her brow, remembering. "Then Erin's head fell onto the nail gun…" She shuddered at the thought of Erin's gruesome death, probably the most gruesome out of all of them. 

"It shouldn't be _too _hard to save her, right?" asked Julie nervously. "We just move the nail gun before she falls?" Julie had already heard all the details before from Wendy at home.

"You're coming to Build It with us?" Wendy asked in surprise. Julie hadn't been present at most of the other would-be deaths. But her sister nodded firmly. 

"I definitely want to be there," she said. "I want to get more involved in this. After all, after Ian and Erin are Perry and me, right?" Wendy nodded, biting her lip. Of course it was strange knowing when you were going to die.

The three of them were at Kevin's house. His dad was at work, and Wendy and Julie had gone to escape from their parents, and also because today was when Erin was scheduled to die.

Wendy glanced at the clock on Kevin's nightstand. "Shall we go now?" she asked, gulping nervously. "It's starting to get dark, and that's when we arrive."

"Then let's go," Kevin said, trying to sound braver than he felt. The three got up and headed outside and into Kevin's truck. 

On the ride to Build It, Wendy was thoughtful. She was sure Erin and Ian would be harder to convince, to persuade than any others, although Julie had been right in that saving Erin _would _be pretty easy…just move the nail gun before she fell, right? Wendy had to be hyper-alert at Build It to make sure she could save Erin – and Ian, for that matter – in time.

By then they had arrived at the hardware store. The trio headed to the gate and Wendy rattled it, feeling her jaw clench as she took in the familiar, eerie sight of Build It.

"Fuck," muttered Erin, straightening up nearby. "You scared the shit out of me." She went over to open the gate and let them in. "What do you want?" she snapped, flicking a lock of red hair out of her face. 

"Erin, there's something we have to tell you and Ian," Wendy said urgently as they began to trail Erin, who had started to walk back inside. She began to explain it all to Erin, who hardly appeared to be listening. She started straightening a few cans of paint on a shelf, straightening a row of super glue, picking up her nail gun and sliding a row of nails into it.

"Can I – can I see that?" Wendy asked nervously, gulping to force her nerves away. Erin smirked.

"You can if you're willing to shoot those pigeons," she said, pointing to a few pigeons on an upper shelf. "They're annoying the fuck out of me and scaring away all those pinhead customers we have to clean up after." Erin climbed a ladder and started shooting the pigeons with the nail gun.

"Ew," she muttered, dropping a few of them into a bucket.

Suddenly Ian appeared at the end of the aisle with his hands in his pocket. He began walking towards them. "Well, well, well," he smirked. "What do we have here?"

Erin smirked back at him as she climbed down from the ladder. "Why don't you let them explain themselves while I go work the forklift?"

Ian raised an eyebrow as if to say _well? _Erin began heading towards the forklift, and Wendy looked after her, confused, instead of explaining why she had come to Ian.

This was going all wrong. _Erin _was driving the forklift? It had been Ian before! It _had_…hadn't it? Did that mean Erin's death would be the same if she was driving the forklift? 

"Well?" Ian asked. His tone of voice gave away that he had asked several times already. "Can you explain why you're here? We kind of have to clean up here before we go home."

Wendy opened her mouth to explain but found she couldn't say anything. She looked around Build It. The lights had begun flickering before going out all the way. Julie shivered and wrapped her arms around herself.

Erin walked over.

"I can't get the forklift to start," she said to Ian. "Can you go try it?" She tossed the keys to him and Ian walked off. (A/N: I don't actually know if you need keys to operate a forklift or not!)

Wendy let out a sigh of relief, closing her eyes for a second. She could hear Kevin talking to Erin but she didn't hear his words. Wendy opened her eyes to see Erin set the nail gun down on a shelf as she began rearranging some hammers.

Wendy's eyes widened and she walked over to the nail gun, trying to remain calm. She picked up the nail gun and turned it around in her hands as if to examine it.

"Careful you don't shoot your eye out," Erin muttered dryly when she spotted Wendy with it.

_If only you knew_, Wendy thought miserably, her stomach twisting uncomfortably. She set the nail gun down on a much higher shelf, feeling as if she was deflating with relief. That had been easier than she thought…

Until Erin picked up the nail gun again to shoot at one last pigeon before setting down the nail gun back on the lower shelf. Wendy quickly picked it up and moved it back to a higher shelf. She guessed she had been too awkward about it because Erin raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"Trust me," Wendy mumbled, averting eye contact.

Just then Ian rejoined them, putting a can of paint on a different shelf.

"Did you turn the forklift off?" Wendy asked quickly.

He shrugged. "I don't know," Ian replied. "Might have. Why do you care anyway? And can someone please explain why you're here?"

Wendy jogged away, searching for the forklift, knowing that it would start the chain reaction that ended Erin's life. Even though Wendy had moved the nail gun, she still wanted to be safe.

She couldn't find the forklift, but she could hear it. Finally, after searching a few aisles, Wendy found it. It had begun to dig into the rack of hammers and screwdrivers just as it had before. She tried to turn it off, but she couldn't get it.

"Fuck," Wendy murmured as she struggled to turn the forklift off. She started to sweat. Finally she managed to turn it off, but things had already begun to fall off the shelf.

Ian! Wendy needed to be there to intervene when the load of wooden pickets fell on him!

Now Wendy couldn't remember where they had been before. She jogged through Build It, peering in each aisle frantically before she found them again. Ian rolled his eyes at her.

"Ian!" Wendy cried out in horror as she looked up at the big load of wooden pickets on the very top shelf. It was just about to fall directly on him. Was Wendy close enough?

She ran towards him and crashed into Ian just as the pickets fell. The two of them fell to the ground, safely out of the way of the pickets. Kevin and Julie ducked to the ground to avoid more falling items as several wooden boards fell on top of the four of them.

Wendy looked up in time to see that somehow the nail gun had been moved to the lower shelf where it had killed Erin, and Erin was still standing up.

"Erin!" Wendy screeched just as the bag of saw dust fell to the ground at Erin's feet, exploding in her eyes. Erin's eyes flew shut and she began to stumble backwards.

"Erin!" Wendy cried again as she scrambled to her feet as quickly as possible, knocking the boards off her. She scrambled towards Erin and the nail gun, tripping over her feet along the way. She grabbed Erin just before she fell into the nail gun and the two of them collided with the floor – out of the way of the nail gun.

"Fuck!" Erin exclaimed as Wendy rolled off her, breathing hard. She looked up, slowly climbing to her feet and helping Erin up. She let out a sigh of relief that Erin was still alive.

"Are you okay?" Wendy asked her.

"I'm fine," Erin muttered, brushing some saw dust off her sleeves. "Aw, fuck. Now we have to clean all this up, Ian."

"We'll stay to help," Wendy offered quickly as Kevin, Julie, and Ian slowly came to their feet, brushing their clothes off.

The five teens worked together for awhile to clean up the part of the store they had destroyed. It took awhile, and it was past dinnertime by the time Kevin dropped off Wendy and Julie at their house.

"Thanks," Wendy called to Kevin as they walked inside.

Wendy knew that she should have felt relieved about so narrowly saving Erin, but instead she felt a horrible churning feeling in her stomach.

Julie was next in line.

**This chapter is pretty dramatic and also one of the longer ones! Next is the Tricentennial, one of my favorite parts of the movie – very climactic. It's probably going to take up more than one chapter, especially since a lot more goes on at the Tricentennial than in the movie…**


	9. Chapter 8: Tricentennial

**Things get VERY exciting and dramatic and climactic from here on. The Tricentennial is gonna take up quite a few chapters…you'll soon find out why.**

**Chapter Eight**

**Tricentennial**

"Julie, are you okay?" Dad asked at dinner the next night. "You seem a little…sad. I don't know."

"I'm fine, really," Julie gulped, but Wendy knew she wasn't. Her sister was extremely nervous about being next in line, even though Wendy had assured her many times that Julie wasn't due until the Tricentennial, and besides, she got skipped originally anyway.

"Why don't we just not go to the Tricentennial?" Julie had asked.

"You're forgetting about Perry," Wendy reminded her. Julie had nodded.

Now the Tricentennial was only a day away, and the two sisters were going together. They had planned to meet Kevin there before finding Perry, who Julie already knew was coming with Amber. Wendy knew Ian was coming and figured Erin would go with him. She wondered if the others she had saved would be there – Ashley, Ashlyn, Frankie, and Lewis. She hadn't heard much from them or seen them at all since she had saved each one.

The next morning, Wendy had to take a deep breath before getting out of bed. She was feeling so nervous about today. Everything came down to the Tricentennial.

LATER THAT DAY

"Bye, Mom, we're going to the Tricentennial," Wendy had said. She thought about those being her last words to her parents, even though they probably wouldn't be. It was an eerie thought.

Now she was driving to the Tricentennial with Julie in the passenger seat, her hands clutching the steering wheel so hard her knuckles were white. The sisters weren't talking much in the car.

"Turn Around, Look at Me" started to play. Wendy looked behind her, even though she knew what she would see. There was Ian's van, and this time she could make out Erin in the passenger seat. So they _were _coming.

At the Tricentennial the sisters decided to split up.

"I'll find Kevin," Wendy said.

"And I'll go look for Perry and Amber," Julie decided. The two sisters parted ways and Wendy gulped, struggling to remind herself that that was not the last time she would see her sister alive.

She quickly found Kevin where he was working at the hot dog stand. She suddenly wondered if maybe Kevin was actually next. Didn't something almost explode in his face? She struggled to remember.

"How are you? Are you okay?" Kevin asked like a concerned parent.

"I'm fine," Wendy said, but she knew Kevin wasn't convinced. "Julie's looking for Perry and Amber now. Are you ready?" They had discussed their plan beforehand. Kevin was already holding the fake sword he had taken, saying he needed to "borrow" it.

Kevin nodded, swinging the sword nervously. "I'm ready for when the horse starts freaking out." Wendy had described Julie's near death in detail to him but had avoided doing so to Julie in case she freaked her sister out too much.

"Wendy!" She turned at her name, seeing it came from Julie, who was waving from her nearby. Perry and Amber were standing beside her. 

"There she is," Wendy said to Kevin, waving back to Julie. "Do you want to come with me or should you stay by the hot dog stand for now?"

"I'll stay here for now," Kevin replied, "but I'll keep my eyes open for the horse and Julie."

"Thanks," Wendy murmured and jogged over to Julie, Perry, and Amber. She quickly hugged Julie. "Hey," she said softly. "How's it going?"

"Fine," Julie gulped nervously. "I'm just fine. So…when is it gonna happen?"

"I'm not quite sure," Wendy said, looking around. It had started to get darker. "Just keep your eye out for – " She was cut off by the sound of a neighing horse. A pure gray horse started galloping towards them.

"Duck!" Wendy exclaimed, but it was too late. The rope had already swung around Julie's neck. She was thrown to the ground and had begun to get dragged along at a high speed.

"Kevin!" Wendy cried, running over to find him. "Kevin!" Kevin was already one step ahead of her. He began running after Julie as she continued to be dragged along the ground. She screamed and clutched at her throat, trying to loosen the rope.

Finally a few security officers began to get the horse under control. Wendy knew what would happen. Before Julie could untangle the rope from around her neck the horse would escape from the officers and start to run again, dragging Julie along. 

But not this time. This time Kevin was prepared. With the fake sword he cut the rope just above Julie's head. She pulled the stray piece of rope off from her neck and stood up, wiping some sweat from her face as she walked over to Wendy.

"Where's Perry?" Julie asked.

"I don't know," Wendy began, looking around just in time to see the flagpole soar through the air and impale Perry, who was standing nearby.

She could hear Julie cry out in horror. Wendy felt her eyes fill with tears.

"How could this happen?" she gasped. "I had saved everyone so far! Oh, God! Why couldn't I save her?"

"It's okay," Julie croaked, but Wendy knew it wasn't. Perry had been _her _friend, after all.

Wendy spun around to see Ashley and Ashlyn wave to her from nearby.

"Hi, Wendy!" they called, and started coming towards her. Wendy grabbed her head in frustration and turned to see Frankie strolling along casually. Nearby was Lewis.

Everyone was here.

**Things start picking up at the Tricentennial after this. Will they be able to save Ian – and the others? Most importantly, will they be able to save themselves?**


	10. Chapter 9: Fireworks

**Thanks for the reviews, people! From here on it all comes down to the Tricentennial… (P.S. I know the chapter title sucks a little bit…)**

**Chapter Nine**

**Fireworks**

"Wendy!" called Ashley, waving as she and Ashlyn headed towards her. Wendy wasn't paying attention, though. She turned to Julie.

"We have to find Erin and Ian!" Wendy exclaimed to her sister. "Can't talk now!" she called over her shoulder to Ashley and Ashlyn as she and Julie ran off with Kevin in search of Erin and Ian.

Wendy was still in shock over not being able to save Perry, but she told herself to let it go. Maybe Death really was inevitable… Or was it death that was unavoidable?

"There they are!" Kevin cried, snapping Wendy out of her little reverie. He pointed towards Erin and Ian. The couple was standing by the fireworks, looking bored. Erin was looking around and spotted them. She nudged Ian and said something to him. A sour look crossed his face.

"Ian!" Wendy called, running towards him and Erin. She was no longer worried about Ian causing her death like she had been before. Now she was just intent on saving his life.

"What is it?" Ian snapped. Wendy was a little surprise. She had thought that by saving Erin's life Ian would be less hostile at the Tricentennial towards her, but obviously she had been wrong.

"There's something I have to tell you!" Wendy babble, knowing she sounded stupid. There's something I have to tell you…Trust me…Come with me… She had said those words quite a bit lately.

"Not again," Ian said, rolling his eyes exasperatedly. "Not more Death stuff, I hope?"

Wendy opened her mouth to try and explain but faltered.

"Just – just trust me," she said weakly, knowing she sounded like a broken record. "Stay away from the fireworks! And – and that sign." She spun around to look at the big sign advertising the McKinley Tricentennial that had caused Ian's demise.

Erin laughed cruelly. "What's wrong, Death girl?" she teased. "Let me guess – we're all gonna die tonight! How'd I know?" She and Ian cracked up. Wendy turned to face them, hoping the pleading showed in her eyes.

"Erin," she snapped sharply, and Erin stopped laughed. "I hope you're not forgetting what happened at Build It. If it weren't for me you'd both be dead right now!"

Erin looked uncomfortable. She glanced at Ian, who narrowed his eyes.

"You're telling me to stay away from that sign, huh?" he asked. "Well, take a look at this!" He started walking away from them, farther away from the fireworks. Wendy felt her mouth fall open in horror as she realized he was standing exactly where he had been when he had died.

"Ian, I don't think that's a good idea," Erin called hesitantly.

"Not a good idea, huh?" Ian exclaimed. "I think messing with Death or whatever isn't a good idea! We're all gonna die, you know? Maybe it's just our _time_!" He went on mocking Wendy, but she wasn't listening.

"Duck!" she exclaimed to Erin, grabbing her and pulling her to the ground. Kevin and Julie fell with them as a firework got loose and nearly crashed into them. Ian swerved out of the way and laughed.

"See?" he snapped. "Death skipped me! It's over for me!"

"Ian, move!" Wendy exclaimed, struggling to her feet. She started running towards Ian as the sign began to fall. She was so close to saving him…

Wendy tripped on her feet, falling to the ground. She rolled out of the way of the sign just in time – for herself, at least. A sob of horror escaped her lips as Ian's lifeless body stared at her, half-crushed by the sign. His finger twitched.

Erin started crying. Wendy crawled over towards them, staring in horror at the blood droplets on her hands. She closed her eyes, almost expecting to be back at the carnival when she opened them. She wasn't. She was still at the Tricentennial. She would not be getting a third chance.

Wendy slowly climbed to her feet, helping Erin up. Kevin and Julie stood up, both looking shocked. 

"Ian!" Erin wailed hoarsely, her voice echoing into the night. Above them, the fireworks had started.

"Look out!" Julie cried. Kevin ducked, pulling Wendy with him as another firework escaped loose and almost crashed into them. Wendy wiped her face clean of tears and sweat so she could see clearly. Who was screaming?

She turned on her heel. The firework had instead crashed into Ashley, and Ashlyn was screaming in horror at the sight of her lifeless friend. Suddenly the firework exploded, and Ashlyn flew through the air, her neck snapping when she hit the ground.

People started screaming and running around, panicking. Wendy felt her blood run cold. She felt frozen, almost unable to move.

She snapped out of it as she realized the ground was on fire from the explosion. The fire was spreading. Wendy spun around in horror, groping for Kevin's arm to grab onto. There, lying on the ground nearby was Frankie, a sort of shrapnel from the firework lodged into his forehead.

"Wendy!" She turned at the sound of her voice. It was Julie, gesturing for her. She, Kevin, and Erin had started running away from the fire. Wendy scrambled after them, her legs feeling weak. 

The four of them ran towards the parking lot, all of them crying a little. So it was true. Death really was inevitable, with a capitol D or not. 

"Lewis!" Wendy cried as she spotted him climbing into his car. Her stomach churning, she realized that with Frankie dead Lewis was next in line…right?

"Lewis!" she called again. Lewis was trying to start his car, but the engine only revved. He looked frantic, trying to escape from the Tricentennial as quickly as possible. Lewis pressed the pedal flat to the floor in frustration just as the car started. It sped forward and immediately crashed into a tree on the side of the parking lot. Lewis slumped motionless and bloody in the driver's seat.

"Oh, God!" Wendy wailed, feeling herself collapse to her knees. How could this be happening again? This hadn't happened the first time! Suddenly Wendy began to realize that by drastically changing the past she had drastically changed the future, too. She never really had had the upper hand during all this, even when she thought she had.

But with Lewis dead, who was next?

"Erin!" Wendy exclaimed, turning on her heel. Erin was standing nearby, a look of horror painted on her face. Standing next to her was Kevin. But Julie…Julie was standing in the middle of the parking lot, too shocked to realize that a car was racing straight towards her at full speed.

"Julie!" Wendy cried at the top of her lungs, struggling to her feet. She was too far away to save her…

Erin spun around and saw what was happening. She ran towards Julie and crashed into her, shoving her out of the way. Julie fell to the ground and managed to roll out of harm's way, but the car had already collided head on with Erin, sending her soaring through the air. She landed on the pavement, bouncing a little bit. Her head smacked against the concrete with a sickening noise.

"Erin!" Wendy cried, trying to run towards Erin and stumbling over her feet along the way. Kevin and Julie quickly joined her. All three of them were crying in terror at what had just happened.

"This is all my fault!" Julie wailed miserably. Suddenly Wendy felt her stomach clench. She turned in time to see a firework descending towards them at top speed.

"Julie!" Wendy exclaimed, but it was too late. The firework crashed into Julie's back sickeningly. Only a second later it exploded. Wendy had time to see Kevin being thrown through the air before she felt fire melting her face, burning her, burning…

Wendy blinked, her faced drenched with sweat and tears. She looked around. Oh, God. She was sitting back in the carnival after Ian had just been killed. There was Erin and Kevin and Julie, all alive and well – and having no idea of what was about to happen. 

Wendy struggled to her feet, feeling so miserable and sad and terrified and frightened all at the same time. She couldn't let this happen again. She just couldn't.

**Another premonition! Will Wendy be able to save everyone? Will she be able to save **_**herself**_


	11. Chapter 10: Escape

Open Minded #1

**I'm glad you guys liked the last chapter because I'm not very good at writing death sequences/premonitions. So…thanks!! **

**Chapter Ten**

**Escape**

"Oh, shit, oh, shit, oh, _shit_!" Wendy muttered under her breath. She tried to wipe some sweat from her face, dampening her shirt sleeve.

"What's wrong, Wendy?" Kevin asked as she struggled to her feet.

"Not again!" Wendy wailed, and a look of horror and realization spread across Kevin's face. He quickly came to his feet.

"Did…did you have another…vision thing?" Kevin said, brushing his hair out of his eyes. Wendy nodded, her breath caught in her throat, unable to speak. She swallowed hard and found her voice.

"We have to get the others out of here!" she yelled hoarsely, grabbing Julie's hand and pulling her up. "Erin! Get up!" Erin was still crying hard from Ian's death. Julie helped her up and Erin wiped her eyes, trying to get a grip on herself.

"It happened again!" Wendy said, struggling to explain. Lately she had been feeling so frustrated all the time – frustrated with not being able to beat Death, frustrated with no one believing her, frustrated with not being able to explain…

"The roller coaster," Erin whispered hoarsely, another tear sliding down her cheek. Wendy nodded, knowing Erin understood. Just like the roller coaster. Another vision. Another premonition.

"Come on!" Wendy exclaimed. "We _have _to get out of here! And we have to save the others!"

"Who?" Erin cried as Wendy grabbed her sleeve and pulled her along. Kevin and Julie followed at the same pace.

"The others!" Wendy called over her shoulder. "Ashley…Ashlyn…Lewis…Frankie. All of them!" She stopped short, a look of horror painting her face as she saw that the explosion had already begun. Ashley and Ashlyn were already dead, and if they didn't move fast they soon would be too…

"Come on!" Wendy yelled. "We have to get out of here!" Her voice was barely heard over the sounds of the night. She started running towards the parking lot, the others following her. Wendy knew that she could no longer save Frankie and Lewis. She had given up saving other people's lives. 

"Get in my van!" Erin yelled, tugging open the door of her and Ian's big green van. She hopped into the driver's seat and pulled the door shut, starting the car. Wendy scrambled into the passenger seat and Kevin and Julie climbed into the back seat. As soon as all the doors were shut Erin pulled out of the parking lot and sped down the road, slowing as they passed a police car.

Wendy put her face into her hands and cried – just cried. She didn't offer an explanation. She didn't wail over not being able to save the others. For now, at least, it was over. Death was inevitable. She should have learned that by now.

When Erin pulled up outside of the Christenson house Wendy realized how truly tired she was. "I need to get some sleep," she muttered, climbing out of the car.

She was surprised to see not only Julie but Kevin and Erin following her inside.

"We're staying with you tonight," Erin said firmly. "How could we have gone through something like this together and not stick together?"

"But my parents," Wendy started, knowing she should feel grateful for their company.

"Fuck your parents," Erin said, and Wendy cracked a smile as the four of them headed inside together. 

It was over.

**I know this was a shorter chapter. And no, it's NOT over!! You'll soon find out. I think there are gonna be a few more chapters after this, but not that many before the end. So actually…it almost IS over!! LOL. I am so random.**


	12. Chapter 11: Five Months Later

Open Minded #1

**Here is the last chapter before the epilogue! So…here you go! (Also, I know the ending is a little like the ending of one of the Final Destination books…If Looks Could Kill, I think it's called…)**

**Chapter Eleven**

**Five Months Later**

Wendy stepped onto the bus and stifled a scream of excitement. She ran down the aisle to the last seat, where Julie was staring out the window with her hands folded in her lap.

Julie turned and grinned at her, squealing a little too as Wendy slid into the seat beside her.

"Hey, you!" Wendy cried excitedly. "How are you?"

"How are _you_?" Julie exclaimed. "Oh, my, God, how weird is it that we're on the same bus? You said you were taking the subway home! That's where I'm heading right now."

"I _did _take the subway!" Wendy explained. "I guess I got here earlier than I thought, so I decided to just take the bus into McKinley."

Five months after the ordeal had ended, Wendy was coming home to McKinley to visit with Julie, Kevin, and Erin on her vacation. 

"I wonder where Kevin and Erin are," Wendy muttered. "They said they'd be coming in today."

"They're probably already in McKinley," Julie said, nudging Wendy's arm. "Stop worrying."

"I can't help it," Wendy murmured, rubbing her arm. She caught Julie's eye. "I have that…feeling again."

"Oh," Julie said, her face worried. She lowered her voice. "Is the bus…going to crash?"

"I don't know," Wendy said, shrugging. "I haven't seen anything yet." It was true, though. Wendy had a bad feeling. Her stomach wouldn't stop churning and her face was sweating, even though it was November and chilly outside. 

"It's probably nothing," Wendy said firmly, wiping her face with her sleeve. Julie cocked an eyebrow.

"It wasn't probably nothing _before_," she pointed out. Wendy shrugged and looked away from Julie. 

"I think I'm going to get off the bus here," Wendy murmured. She got up and hurried off the bus without another word from Julie. Wendy shivered, wrapping her arms around herself as the bus pulled away. Was she wrong to leave Julie on the bus?

Suddenly Wendy's cell phone buzzed. She pulled it out of her pocket and flipped it open. "Hello?"

"Hey, Wendy!" It was Erin. Wendy smiled, relieved to hear her friend's voice.

"How are you, Erin?" she asked. "What's up?"

"Nothing much," Erin replied. "I'm on the subway in, and guess what? I ran into Kevin! Turns out we're on the same subway. Weird, huh?"

"Yeah, weird," Wendy murmured, shivering. Somehow it seemed weirder than in the way Erin meant.

"We'll be in McKinley real soon," Erin promised. Suddenly their connection got fuzzy. "I better go," she said. "I think we're getting disconnected. See you soon!"

"Yeah, see you soon," Wendy said, smiling. She hung up and slipped her phone back into her pocket. She started walking across the street as a strong, chilly wind blew through. Wendy shivered again.

In the middle of the road her phone vibrated once more. Wendy stopped and pulled it out of her pocket. She had gotten a text message, but from who? She flipped her phone open.

LOOK BEHIND YOU

Confused, Wendy spun around to look just in time to come face to face with a speeding bus. She barely had time to scream.

**I'm not very good at endings and this one's a little cliffy, but it all gets explained in the epilogue.**


	13. Epilogue

Open Minded #1

**Epilogue**

A strong gust of wind blew through the cemetery, ruffling the tree branches. Barely any leaves still remained on the trees, but there was the occasional dead brown leave hanging by a thread.

The wind blew one of these stray brown leaves off its branch. It twirled through the air gracefully before landing on top of one of the gravestones. 

A sparkly early-winter frost covered four of the newest marble gravestones that stood side by side, shoulder to shoulder – but those four alone. Another wind blew the leaf off the gravestone.

A stray newspaper article blew through the air, nestling at the foot of the gravestone that read WENDY CHRISTENSON. The headline read SUBWAY DERAILMENT TAKES LIVES OF TWO. The subheading explained **Kevin Fischer, 18, and Erin Ulmer, 18, killed in crash**.

The newspaper article fluttered in the breeze and flipped over to reveal a second article: BUS SLIPS ON BLACK ICE; KILLS AT LEAST FOURTEEN.

Nearby a little girl and her mother come to visit a grave.

"Look, Mommy," says the little girl, running over to the four graves. She picks up the newspaper article and squints at it, struggling to sound out the words. "Look, it says Julie here in the article and then there's Julie on the grave!" She pointed, trying to explain to her mother. "Are they the same person?"

"Put that down," the mother said, grabbing her daughter's hand. "Come on; let's go put some flowers on Daddy's grave."

The little girl takes one last glance at the gravestones. A shadow is cast on them. It looks a lot like a skull.

It's over.


	14. Pointless Author's Note

Open Minded #1

**Author's Note**

Hello, everybody,

I know this is probably a little pointless and really cheesy but I decided to include a note from the author (that's me!!) after the epilogue.

Story time!! Hurray!!

Once upon a time on a computer there was a little girl named Lexi (okay, maybe not so little) who created an account on . She was Pulp Fiction. The day Lexi created her account she had too much free time on her hands so she wrote an entire Final Destination fan fiction in one day: Survivor (hint: read Survivor if you liked this fic and you like Erin fics!). Then the next day Lexi wrote a one shot called If Dreams Could Kill (hint: read it if you liked FD2!!).

That very same day, Butterfly Effect (a.k.a. this story you just read) was born.

Lexi managed to crank out this story in one week. It was her longest fic and possibly and probably the best. It also got the most reviews and the most hits. Lexi became very proud.

True story right there.

So what was the point of that? I'm not really sure. But I just wanted to say that I'm really happy with the epilogue and the way it turned out. The ending of the last chapter kind of sucked because I suck at endings so that's one reason why I made the epilogue.

So thanks for reading my story and pity on you if you suffered through this pointless note.

Thanks,

Lexi/Pulp Fiction

P.S. Erin and Ian ROCK! Ahem…just my opinion…ahem…


End file.
